Chapter 4: Milestone: 4 months in our new home

We have officially lived in our new home for 4 full months now and things have been going well.  Sure there have been ups and downs and Kevin has had more than a few headaches investing a large amount of time fixing / repairing and getting warrantee work completed on the Voltage. But spending more time together has been nice. We frequently get many questions from family, friends, and people we meet on our travels about living full time in a 5^th wheel so I thought we should reassess our thoughts on them every 4 months during our first year. Here are few of the common questions we get:

Aren’t you cramped living in tight quarters? No. Not yet at least. Our home isn’t jam packed with items as we have down sized.

Do you miss your old house? No! (Sometimes Eloise will reminisce about her old swing set and toys but then quickly moves on) We all enjoyed our time in our old house and have many fond memories to look back on but are excited to look forward to the future!

Do you find you are missing anything in your new home? No. We really have everything we would want to be comfortable. We have a bathroom complete with tub, full kitchen, our king sized mattress from our old house, plenty of living room space, etc. One thing I would change is a larger loft space for Eloise as it’s just the right size for her now but very tight for any adult.

View into Eloise’s bunk

Are you doing this to save money? No. We do anticipate cost savings in the future however living in the 5^th wheel has its own unique expenses.

How do you work? Kevin has converted the toy hauler area into an office and he is lucky to have a job that will allow him to work remotely.

What are your favorite parts about your new home so far? Time spent outdoors and increased family time with an emphasis on shared experiences, meeting new people, and reuniting with old friends.

Meeting up with college friends along the way

What’s your least favorite part about your new home so far? Added stress from repair work.  Also ‘moving days’ can be stressful as we take down, drive, and set up with two small children. (However we have greatly increased our efficiency with this process and Kevin is a master at packing up quickly and efficiently)

What one piece of advice would you give to anyone else considering doing something like this? Take your time finding the right coach/trailer/5^th wheel for you. Do the research. Layout and ‘livability’ are important and each family/person will have a configuration that works best for them. Once you think you’ve found the one for you talk to someone who owns one and ask questions (you can easily find someone on line!).